Mike Hammer vs. Sherlock Holmes
Last year Robert Downey, Jr. starred in a new movie version of Sherlock Holmes that turned out to be a pretty big hit all around. With Jude Law playing Dr. Watson, Sherlock Holmes was off on another adventure that would add to his ever continuing legacy. Billed the world's greatest detective, this creation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's has stood the test of time as a classic English superhero who ever seems to ween victory out of hopeless circumstances. Where there is no clue he scratches on up out of nowhere and his genius in solving crimes is second to none. Now while clearly Sherlock Holmes is probably the more well-known literary detective of past and present there was another too who in his prime if not more popular then just as popular as Sherlock himself; and that was Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer.
Mickey Spillane created Mike Hammer long ago when he used to write for a comic book company that would go on to be Marvel Comics. At first he was called Dick Danger and he tried to sell it as an action comic being back then there were not as many superhero comics as there are today. This project failed so after some fine-tuning and a name change, Mike Hammer hit the store shelves and almost overnight became quite a sensation. This detective from the hard-boiled tradition of the pulps galvanized every male in America. Tough, smart, and always ready for action, Mike Hammer was the epitome of the man's man who didn't take crap off anybody and was ever ready to back it up with his fists or his gun. In his hey-day Mike Hammer was the most popular novel series in America and spawned several hit movies even with Mickey Spillane the author starring in one himself. Inevitably a tv series came out of it too starring Gavin McDarren that ran for a few seasons in the late 50's, and another attempt at it came in the 80's with stage actor Stacy Keach in the starring role. Then Mike Hammer just seemed to disappear from the American consciousness.
I don't know what it is about us in America where it's so easy to turn over something old in favor of something new but it happens often. Sherlock Holmes has been re-made, and re-made, and re-made many times over the years. Basil Rathbone was the most famous one until Jeremy Brett's inspiring interpretation of the character in the late 80's and early 90's. Michael Caine has played Sherlock Holmes, along with along with David Suchet who went on to play Hercule Poirot in the long running Poirot series inspired by Agatha Christies character of the same name, and many other actors leading up to Robert Downey, Jr. earlier this year. Thus far with the exception of the tv series with Stacy Keach there have been no inspiring interpretations of Mike Hammer and no effort to bring this classic American detective back into the psyche of the American people.
Sitting back I ponder sometimes why the English and other tend to have a long-standing love affair with their classic heroes and we Americans seem to spit them out as quickly as we create them. For instance, there are no more attempts to make Tarzan movies, and Tarzan was a long running American franchise that was a sure money-maker. Charlie Chan has disappeared and for years it was one of the most popular American characters in literature and cinema. The Lone Ranger is gone along with the Green Hornet (there is a movie coming out next year based on that character) and to my knowledge there hasn't been any attempt to re-create the classic literary invention of none other than Edgar Allen Poe of C. August Dupin (whom it is said was the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot) in the classic tale Murders in the Rue Morgue where the murderer is an ape trained to kill. You wonder if that's just the nature of our American literary and cinematic scene or if the desire for new writers and new producers to push their own ideas leaves no room for interpretation of our most classic American characters. Eitherway, it is a shame indeed for I miss seeing these characters in cinema and there really is no reason why they should have just dropped out seemingly forever.
In conclusion it is my hope that people will re-discover these stories and classic American characters and began to print books and make films about them again. We must maintain a closeness with some of the things of our past to help us plot our course for the future. We all will grow old by God's grace and think of the message that we're sending the younger generation here in America that once you're old you're no longer relevant. The English don't agree with that, nor the Japanese, nor the Chinese, nor even the French. Appreciation for those that came before us will only insure that their legacies will maintaiin their relevance and only grow in value in the years to come. Imagine how much the original manuscript of Sherlock Holmes is worth? How about the first draft of Mike Hammer? How much is that worth?
Mickey Spillane created Mike Hammer long ago when he used to write for a comic book company that would go on to be Marvel Comics. At first he was called Dick Danger and he tried to sell it as an action comic being back then there were not as many superhero comics as there are today. This project failed so after some fine-tuning and a name change, Mike Hammer hit the store shelves and almost overnight became quite a sensation. This detective from the hard-boiled tradition of the pulps galvanized every male in America. Tough, smart, and always ready for action, Mike Hammer was the epitome of the man's man who didn't take crap off anybody and was ever ready to back it up with his fists or his gun. In his hey-day Mike Hammer was the most popular novel series in America and spawned several hit movies even with Mickey Spillane the author starring in one himself. Inevitably a tv series came out of it too starring Gavin McDarren that ran for a few seasons in the late 50's, and another attempt at it came in the 80's with stage actor Stacy Keach in the starring role. Then Mike Hammer just seemed to disappear from the American consciousness.
I don't know what it is about us in America where it's so easy to turn over something old in favor of something new but it happens often. Sherlock Holmes has been re-made, and re-made, and re-made many times over the years. Basil Rathbone was the most famous one until Jeremy Brett's inspiring interpretation of the character in the late 80's and early 90's. Michael Caine has played Sherlock Holmes, along with along with David Suchet who went on to play Hercule Poirot in the long running Poirot series inspired by Agatha Christies character of the same name, and many other actors leading up to Robert Downey, Jr. earlier this year. Thus far with the exception of the tv series with Stacy Keach there have been no inspiring interpretations of Mike Hammer and no effort to bring this classic American detective back into the psyche of the American people.
Sitting back I ponder sometimes why the English and other tend to have a long-standing love affair with their classic heroes and we Americans seem to spit them out as quickly as we create them. For instance, there are no more attempts to make Tarzan movies, and Tarzan was a long running American franchise that was a sure money-maker. Charlie Chan has disappeared and for years it was one of the most popular American characters in literature and cinema. The Lone Ranger is gone along with the Green Hornet (there is a movie coming out next year based on that character) and to my knowledge there hasn't been any attempt to re-create the classic literary invention of none other than Edgar Allen Poe of C. August Dupin (whom it is said was the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot) in the classic tale Murders in the Rue Morgue where the murderer is an ape trained to kill. You wonder if that's just the nature of our American literary and cinematic scene or if the desire for new writers and new producers to push their own ideas leaves no room for interpretation of our most classic American characters. Eitherway, it is a shame indeed for I miss seeing these characters in cinema and there really is no reason why they should have just dropped out seemingly forever.
In conclusion it is my hope that people will re-discover these stories and classic American characters and began to print books and make films about them again. We must maintain a closeness with some of the things of our past to help us plot our course for the future. We all will grow old by God's grace and think of the message that we're sending the younger generation here in America that once you're old you're no longer relevant. The English don't agree with that, nor the Japanese, nor the Chinese, nor even the French. Appreciation for those that came before us will only insure that their legacies will maintaiin their relevance and only grow in value in the years to come. Imagine how much the original manuscript of Sherlock Holmes is worth? How about the first draft of Mike Hammer? How much is that worth?
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